Communication terminals may transmit and receive optical signals through free space optical communication (FSOC) links. In order to accomplish this, such terminals generally use acquisition and tracking systems to establish the optical link by pointing optical beams towards one another. For instance, a transmitting terminal may use a beacon laser to illuminate a receiving terminal, while the receiving terminal may use a position sensor to locate the transmitting terminal and to monitor the beacon laser. Steering mechanisms may maneuver the terminals to point toward each other and to track the pointing once acquisition is established. A high degree of pointing accuracy may be required to ensure that the optical signal will be correctly received.
The mechanisms and components of communication terminals may vary physically due to differences in operation over time. For example, mechanisms may be cycled through large temperature ranges and experience significantly varying plant (mechanism) characteristics. Components may wear or otherwise vary with use, which may change optical throughput or adaptive rate requirements. Mechanisms may also have components that reduce performance using traditional controls techniques. In these situations, it may be difficult to compensate for the variability caused by the changes in the components in order to obtain reliable operation of a communication terminal.